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150 multiple-choice questions and 55 flashcards, written to the IELTS Academic blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
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IELTS Academic — 4 modules: Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking
CoStudy's IELTS Academic bank holds 205 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
'Approximately 80%' is closest to:
Answer: D — around four in five
A) 'Approximately' precludes 'exactly'. D) Correct — 80% ≈ 4/5. C) Reversal. B) Overstates.
A paragraph compares Nordic and Anglo-American welfare models. The best heading is:
Answer: A — Comparing welfare systems
A) Correct — directly captures the comparison. B/C/D) Off-topic side issues.
Passage: 'A handful of universities account for the lion's share of research output.' Best paraphrase:
Answer: C — A small number of universities produce the majority of research
A) Reversal. B) Off-by-one — 'a handful' is small, not most. C) Correct — 'handful' = small number; 'lion's share' = majority. D) Reversal.
Band 7 in IELTS roughly means:
Answer: B — Good user — operational command, occasional inaccuracies, handles complex language
A) That's Band 2-3. B) Correct — Band 7 = good user; can use complex language, with some inaccuracies and misunderstandings. Common university requirement for graduate programs. C) That's Band 9. D) IELTS doesn't have pass/fail; institutions set their own minimums.
Passage: 'The drug shows promise but has yet to undergo Phase III trials.' Best paraphrase:
Answer: C — The drug looks encouraging, though large-scale trials have not yet been done
A) Reversal of 'yet to undergo'. B) Not implied. C) Correct — 'promise … yet to undergo Phase III' = encouraging + larger trials pending. D) Reversal.
An overview paragraph in Task 1 should:
Answer: A — summarise 2-3 main trends without specific data
B) Numbers go in body. A) Correct — overview captures big picture, not detail. C) No opinion in Task 1. D) Overview usually comes second, before body paragraphs.
What happens if your Task 2 essay is only 200 words (under 250)?
Answer: B — Direct penalty in Task Achievement
A) Penalty applies regardless of quality. B) Correct — direct mark deduction in Task Achievement for under-length essays. Always exceed minimums by 10-20 words. C) No bonus mechanism. D) Essay IS marked but penalized.
A good Task 2 conclusion:
Answer: B — restates the thesis and synthesises main points
A) New arguments belong in body. B) Correct — restate + synthesise. C) Evidence belongs in body. D) Required.
'Furthermore' is most similar to:
Answer: C — moreover
A) Contrast marker. B) Contrast. C) Correct — both add an additional point. D) Concession.
A lecturer observes: 'Whereas Victorian cities expanded outward via rail, modern megacities grow vertically.' The contrast is between:
Answer: B — Horizontal vs vertical urban growth
A) Off-by-one — rail is part of the example, not the main contrast. B) Correct — 'outward' vs 'vertically' is the explicit dichotomy. C) Not the focus. D) Not mentioned.
If you hear 'the postcode is C-B-three, nine-A-X', you should write:
Answer: A — CB3 9AX
A) Correct — UK postcode format with a single space. B) Capitalization matters. C) Space omitted. D) Letters/digits reordered.
A passage ends: 'Far from clarifying matters, the new evidence has only deepened the controversy.' The author implies:
Answer: B — The debate continues and has intensified
A) Direction reversal. B) Correct — 'far from clarifying … deepened' = continuing, worsening. C) Evidence matters; it's just inconclusive. D) Stance not given.
6 sample cards from the 55 in the bank.
Cost of IELTS test (general range)?
USD 215-310 depending on country. Check official site for current pricing.
What is Speaking Part 2 (Long Turn)?
Cue card task — speak 1-2 min about a given topic. 1 min prep + 1-2 min talk.
How fast are IELTS results released?
Computer-delivered: 3-5 days. Paper-based: 13 days.
Define 'detrimental'.
Harmful, damaging. 'Detrimental effects on health.'
Define 'compelling'.
Strongly persuasive. 'A compelling argument.'
Writing scoring criteria — name 4.
Task Achievement (Task Response for T2), Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy. Each is 25% of the Writing band.
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
The IELTS Academic bank holds 205 items: 150 multiple-choice questions, 55 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 205-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.